Device for capping off glass cylinders



H. F. Hum AND I. MAKE, DEWCE FOR CAPPING OFF GLASS CYUNDERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY II 1918.

Patented May 4, 1920.

.465 Cyuuam r a specification.

50 opposite the plate 4 ITED STATES PATENT-or tion.

HARRY F. HITNEB, 0F CREIGHTON,

PENNSYLVANI AND 'rnavrs E. CAKES, or

MOUNT VERNON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, ACOBPOBATION OEPENNSYLVANIA'.

'DEVICE FOR CAPPING OFF GLASS CYLINDERS.

1,339,200. Specification of Application filed July 11,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARRY F. HITNER andTRAVIS E. Calms, both citizens of the device,

United States, residing, respectively, at, Creighton in the county ofAlleghenyand State of Fennsylvania, and Mount Vernon, in the county ofKnox and State of Ohio,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements i-n Devices forCapping Off Glass Cylinders, of which the followmg is The inventionrelates to devices for severing glass cylinders transversely, by meansbeing known in the art as cappmg off devices. It has for its principalobjects, the provision of an improved and simplified (1) wherein thevoltage required for the heating wire, as compared withthe devicescommonly used, is reduced, (2) wherein means are provided for adistribution of the current to correspond to the thickness of the glasswhere the cylinder is not uniform in thickness throughout itscircumference, (3) and which can be more rapidly and convenientlyoperated than the apparatus heretofore employed.

One embodi'ment of the invention isillustrated in the accompanyingdrawings wherein Figure 1 is a transverse sectionthrough a cylinder withthe capping off device in side elevation, Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe handle of the device onthe side which carries the switch, Fig. 3 isa similar view of the other side of the handle, Fi 4 is a bottomplanview of the handle, Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the wireclamp or clip, andFig. 6 is an enlarged plan view The handle 1 of thedevice carries a pair I *while' the terminal 3 is connected to the ofthe forked end of the transfer rod carried by the handle.

of terminals 2 and 3, (Fig. 2), the terminal 2 being connected to thecontact, plate 4 clamp 5. The forward end of the handle is provided witha metal housing 6 carrying a tension wheel'7, also of metal, such wheelbeing held yieldingly against rotation by a spiral spring (not shown).The housing 6 is provided with a spring 8 whose end 9 is -'but out ofContact therewith as indicated in Fig. 4. When this spring is presseddown by the thumb of the operator a connection is made between thetached to the wire at some Patented May4, 1920.

Lettersiatent. I

1918L= I Serial No. 244,427.

tension wheel. carried thereby.

qSecured to the tension wheel 7, and having several turns thereon, isthe heating wire .10 of some high resistance metal such as is well knownin the art. The other end of ,thiswire is free so that it may be passedaround the cylinder to provide the necesfsary loop. The free end of thewire after passing around the cylinder is attached to the housing 6 inelectrical contact therewith "so that the current from the terminal 2passes around the cylinder in both directions. In order to complete thecircuit the clamp 5 carried by the terminal 3 is provided, such clampbeing adapted to be atoint opposite the handle 1 as indicated in ig. 1.If the cylinder is of uniform thickness this clamp is ordinarilyattached exactly opposite the handle, that is at 180 therefrom, but ifthe cylinder is of unequal thickness the distance may be unevenlydivided between the two portions of the loop, the shorter portionengaging that part of the cylinder which is thickest. By thismeans theheating effect of the wire upon the glass is made uniform thickness ofthe wall of the cylinder.

The clamp is preferably made of the sub made with the terminal 3 byhaving the ends of'such terminal divide as indicated at 15 and extendunder the nuts of the bolts 17 iwhich serve to secure the jaws of theclamp in position. Thejaws are opened by pressingthe ends of the Vshaped member toward each other, 'the wire then being gripped betweenthe ends of the jaws when the pressure on the ends of the V shapedmember is released. This clamp will securely hold the wire making goodelectrical contact therewith, and at the same time it does not carry thewireout of en? gagement with the glass. 7

As a convenient means for passing the regardless of any non-uniformityin the clamp from the handle side of the cylinder to the other side thetransfer rod 18 is secured to the handle, such transfer rod beingprovided fer rod may be utilized without the need of the second operatorin which case the operator on the handle side reaches his free armaround the upper portion of the cylinder, at the same time extending thehandle 1 around on the lower side of the cylinder.

The arrangement of the wire will be readily understood by reference toFigs. 3 and 4. The end of the wire which is attached to the handlepasses through an opening in the metal pin 20. The wire then passes overthe pin 21 and around the cylinder, its free end crossing the firstportion of the wire opposite the pin 21 as indicated in Fig. 3. This.end' then passes around the third pin 22, around theedge of the housing6 as indicated in Fig. 2, and beneath the spring clip At this time thetension wheel 7 is so positioned that the wire is under tension, andthis tension keeps the wire in proper engagement with the cylinderregardless .of any contraction or vexpansion incident to temperaturechanges in the glass or "wire. Aswill be seen by reference to Figs. 3and 4, the pin 22 has its end cut back so as to provide a shoulder 24 inalinement-with the opening 25 through the pin 20. It follows that whenthe wire is passed around the pin 22, and

pushed up against the shoulder two portions of the wire contact witheach other so that there is no portion of the glass at this point whichis not heated. This arrangement pro- "vides a continuous heatedcircle'around the cylinder. Otheri'orms of stops might be provided forbringing the two ends of the wire into proper relative position.

' Afterthe apparatus has been adjusted as indicated in Fig. l the thumbof the operatoris applied to the spring 8 causing it to engage the plate4, thus causing it to com pletethe electrical circuit between theterminals 2 and 3. The heating of the wire heats thecylinderthroughoutits circumfercnce at the line of contact to such an extentthat the glassis cracked. H

It will be seen thatthe apparatus as heretofore described andillustrated constitutes tin-effective and convenient means for accomplishing the electrical capping off I or severing of cylinders. Thevoltage required is relatively lower than that, heretofore re quiredwhere the currentwas caused to pass completely around the cylinder fromone terminal on the handle to the other terminal on; such handle.Incidentally shocks to the operators are thus minimized. 'The apparatusalso has the advantage heretofore referred to incident to thepossibility of dis tributing the'current uniformly to correspond to thethickness of the wall of the cylinder where the cylinder isnot ofunlform thickness throughout its circumference. Other advantagesincident to the convenient handling of the apparatus will be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

What we claim is: 1. In combination in a capplng off device,

a terminal, a loop of heating wire connectedg I to the terminal, and asecond terminaljhaving a contact clamp adapted to be attached to theloop at any desired point opp'ositethe first terminal. i

2. In combination in a capping ofi' device,r a terminal, a loop ofheating wire connected tothe t'erminaha second terminal, and,

contact clamp on said second terminal adapted to grip the opposite sidesof the heating loop wire at a point on the looprenrote from the firstterminal.

In combination in a capplng ofi' device for cylinders, a terminal, aheating. wire.

connected at one end'to the terminal with the other end free and adaptedto be passed around a cylinder forming a loop and :at ta'ched to saidterminal, and a second termi:

nal adapted to be applied to the loop of wire on the side of thecylinderopposite. the first terminal. a i 4. In combination in a"capping off device for cylinders, a terminal, a heating wire cone:

nected at one end to theterminal with the around a cylinder forming aloopand attached to said terminal, and prov-ided-witha contact clip forgripping the loop (if-wire on the side of the cylinder; opposite. thefirst terminal. i

other end free and adapted to be passed W 5. In combination in acappingofi devicefor cylinders, aterminal, a. heating wire con: nectedat one end to theterminal"with the other end free and adapted-to be.passed around a cylinder forming "a 1oop -and'-a'ttached to saidterminal, and provided" with a spring contact clip adapted to grip theopposing sides of the heating'wireloop; at a point on thecylinderopposite the first terminal, 'i I 1y 6. In combination-in a tapping oifdevice for cylinders, a handle, a terminal carried thereby, a loop ofheating wire adapted to encircle a cylinder and connectedto'the'terminal, an insulated terminal wire free atone end carried bythe handle, and a contact clip carried by said free end of the terminalwire and adapted to be connected to' the loop on the side of thecylinder opposite the handle.

7,. In combination in a capping ofidevice for cylinders, a handle,aterminal carried thereby, a loop of heating wireadapted'to encircle acylinder and connected to the terminal, an insulated terminal wire freeat one end carriedby the handle, and a contact clip carried by said freeend of the terminal wire and adapted to be connected to the loop on theside of the cylinder opposite the handle, the said loop having one endreleasable from said terminal on the handle to facilitate itsapplication around the cylinder.

8. In combination in a capping oflt' device, a handle, a tension meanson the handle, a heating Wire secured at one end to the tension means, aguide member provided with a guide passage through which the wire extends, a guide member in proximity to the first guide member andprovided with a stop in substantial alinement with said passage, andmeans for securing the free end of the wire to the handle.

9. In combination in a capping ofi' device, a terminal provided with aloop of heating wire, and a second terminal provided with a clamp forattachment to said loo-p, said clamp comprising an approximately shapedmember of spring material, and a pair of jaws fixed to the oppositesides of said member and fitting the contour thereof with their endslying in opposition at the point of said member.

10. In combination in a capping off device, a terminal provided with aloop of heating wire, and a second terminal provided with a clamp forattachment to said loop, said clamp comprising an approximately V shapedmember of spring material with theapex thereof rounded, and a pair ofjaws fixed to the outer sides of said member and fitting the contourthereof with their ends lying in opposition close' together and incontact with said apex so as to grip the relatively small heating wire.

11. In combination in a capping off device for cylinders, a handle,terminal carried thereby, encircle a cylinder and connected to the terminal, an insulated terminal wire connected to the handle at one end andcarrying a wire engaging clamp at the other, and a transfer rodprojecting forwardly from the handle and adapted to support the clampand pass it from one side of the cylinder to the other.

12. In combination in a capping ofi' device for cylinders, handle,terminal carried thereby, a loop of heating wire adapted to encircle acylinder and connected to the terminal, an insulated terminal wireconnected to the handle at one end and carrying a wire engaging clamp atthe other, and a curved transfer rod projecting downwardly and forwardlyfrom the handle and adapted to support the clamp and pass it from oneside of the cylinder to the other.

- I HARRY F. HITNER.

TRAVIS E. OAKES.

a loop of heating wire adapted to a

